The Past Behind the Mask
by A-chan5
Summary: COMPLETE. Slight Yaoi IrukaKakashi. Hatake Kakashi, Copy ninja. Not much is known of him. His past is yet to be uncovered.
1. Dangerous Enemy

Summary: Hatake Kakashi, Copy ninja. Not much is known of him. His past is yet to be discovered.

Warning: Slight Yaoi Iruka/Kakashi much later in the story.

Note: This story is already finished, so I will post the next chapters quickly. Thanks to Masterdeeds for beta-reading!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

The Past Behind the Mask

Chapter One: Dangerous Enemy

Kakashi watched as Sasuke charged his Chidori, sweat dampening his black hair. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he forced his mixed chakra into his left hand. It was his second and last of the day, but, even the first time, he had not been able to take the advantage in a battle against the juunin. Kakashi was barely tired, although the kid was making remarkable progress so fast. He truly was of the Uchiha blood.

Finally managing to stabilize his chakra, Sasuke lunged at Kakashi. His red Sharingan eyes flashed dangerously, reading his sensei's movements easily. But despite that, Kakashi smoothly stepped aside. Using the boy's momentum, he pushed him roughly between the shoulder blades, sending him sprawling into a boulder. Half the rock exploded under the impact of the Chidori, showering the surroundings with debris.

Sasuke hoisted himself up with difficulty, his breathing heavy. His Sharingan had not disappeared yet and he was already mixing more chakra.

"That's enough," Kakashi said as he raised a hand to stop the boy. "You've done enough for today. You'll injure yourself if you continue."

The boy reluctantly let his chakra dissolve and took a deep breath, his eyes reverting back to black pupils. He looked back at the blasted rock and his eyes hardened suddenly.

"It's not strong enough," he muttered sullenly. "The Chidori. It doesn't even compare to Naruto's Rasengan," he added at Kakashi's quirked eyebrow.

"It's strong enough for now. It'll grow with time. It's no good to exert yourself trying to do what you can't yet," replied the juunin, shaking his head.

Sasuke glared at Kakashi furiously.

"It still is too weak." Sasuke bit back.

Kakashi sighed. Sasuke just had no idea how much stronger the Rasengan would be once Naruto learned to perfectly control the Kyubi's chakra, however strong Sasuke would make his Chidori.

"And it always will be, strength wise. Rasengan is a jutsu only Jiraiya and the Fourth managed to learn before Naruto. You can't only depend on Chidori in any case. You have to work on other techniques," Kakashi said with a touch of impatience. He avoided saying that Naruto had only taken about two weeks to learn Rasengan, while even the Fourth had taken three years. Sasuke had enough trouble to cope with the fact that Naruto was becoming much stronger than him.

"I still have trouble copying techniques with the Sharingan. Can't you show me how?" the boy suddenly asked.

"No. Controlling a Sharingan can't be taught, you have to figure it out by yourself. You can't learn hereditary techniques if you aren't of the blood, and teaching's the same thing," Kakashi replied. He turned around then, putting an end to the conversation. He didn't like the way it was headed.

"But you aren't an Uchiha, and you have a Sharingan," he heard Sasuke mutter thoughtfully. Since the boy was speaking to himself, the juunin chose not to comment on that. Besides, it was slippery ground to venture on.

Kakashi disappeared before Sasuke could question him, but he didn't go far. He watched, hidden, as the other boy frowned in thought. Sasuke cast a dark look at the boulder again before walking away.

The juunin sighed. The last thing he wanted was to tell Sasuke about his Sharingan. The boy was too emotionally unstable, torn between his thirst for power and his love of his comrades. And it was ten times worse because of his sudden jealousy of Naruto's strength. It was hard for him to assimilate the fact that Naruto would soon grow much stronger than him, and stay stronger even when they both reach their limits. He might bolt at the slightest thing and run to Orochimaru, and they had to avoid that at all costs. The boy would become a walking monster they'd have to put down.

"He's getting suspicious."

Kakashi sighed again and realized he was fingering his Sharingan over his forehead protector, so he lowered his hand. He had felt Iruka arrive a while ago, but he had waited for the man to speak first.

"You know you should tell him," Iruka said as he sat beside the juunin. "He'll learn of it one way or another. It would be best if it was someone he trusted that broke the news to him."

"I'm not sure he'll still trust me after that. Besides, he's too unstable right now. I'll wait until he's come to terms with his jealousy of Naruto and his unreasonable thirst for power," Kakashi replied. "You don't want him running to Orochimaru."

Iruka shrugged. He had never been able to make Kakashi budge when he decided to be stubborn.

"It's still something to remember. You very nearly became a Missing-nin" the chuunin said coldly. It was not a memory to be treasured.

"No need to remind me," Kakashi grumbled.

* * *

_Kakashi stared at the Academy with exasperation. He couldn't believe he'd have to waste a year there before he could become a ninja. It was so boring. He already knew all they would teach, he was sure of it!_

_Someone bumped into him, and he glared at the person angrily. The brown-haired boy caught his balance just in time not to fall on his face in the dirt. He straightened his backpack and smiled sheepishly at Kakashi._

"_Sorry! You alright?" the boy asked, misinterpreting Kakashi's expression._

_The silver-haired boy snorted in annoyance. "Of course I am. Watch where you walk next time," he added angrily._

"_Yeah, sorry again. I'm so excited, you know, becoming a ninja and all!" the brown-haired boy piped up excitedly._

_Kakashi ignored the boy and started moving towards the big double doors._

"_I'm Umino Iruka! What's your name?" the boy named Iruka asked happily, catching up with the fast walking Kakashi._

_The silver-haired boy looked at Iruka in mild surprise. Didn't he see he wanted to be left alone? He was so annoying. Still...he seemed nice._

"_Hatake Kakashi," he muttered in answer._

"_Then you'll call me Iruka and I'll call you Kakashi!" Iruka cried cheerfully, already liking the other boy._

_Kakashi shrugged. If he could make his year less boring, why not? As long as he was not too annoying..._

* * *

"_Come on Kakashi! I bet you can't beat me!"_

_Kakashi stared annoyingly at Gai. The boy was challenging him AGAIN. He couldn't seem to take 'no' for an answer. He didn't care about his stupid fights; he knew he could beat him anyway. Besides, he'd get in trouble if he fought; Yaiba-sensei had forbidden it when it wasn't during a class. Not that he really minded, but he didn't want to be punished for some stupid fight._

"_Leave me alone Gai," Kakashi answered coldly. What and idiot._

"_Ha! You're scared of me! You know I'll win! Scaredy cat! The great Kakashi won't even fight! He's just a big-mouth!" Gai cried challengingly. _

_Kakashi ignored him and kept walking, but soon enough, the insults started to get to him. When Gai threw a rock at him, he snapped._

_The black-haired boy barely had the time to dodge the first kunai before he had to worry about three other shurikens. He managed to counter two with his own shurikens but the third imbedded itself in his right shoulder. Kakashi attacked, punching Gai square in the face. The boy was usually better in taijutsu than Kakashi, but the surprise caused by the shurikens had given the silver-haired boy an opening. Gai quickly recovered, however, and Kakashi soon had to abandon taijutsu and use long-distance attacks._

_A shower of kunais and shurikens followed, accompanied by a few smoke bombs that allowed Kakashi to land blows with punches and kicks. The silver-haired boy was about to punch Gai in the belly to render him unconscious when two firm hands grabbed him from behind and threw him back, causing him to slam against a tree._

"_Just what do you think you're doing, Hatake?" Kakashi's sensei growled, kneeling beside Gai to evaluate his injuries. The boy was covered in deep gashes and a few kunais and shurikens where still stuck in his flesh. "It's alright boy, nothing's serious," the man continued in a more soothing tone, but Gai was already half gone, his eyes only half focused. He blinked confusedly at his teacher._

_Yaiba-sensei was a very tall man, lean but incredibly strong. He had a surprising deep voice for a body so lean. His black hair was cut short and streaked with white, even if he was still young. It was said that he was infected with an incurable illness that aged him faster than normal. Right now, his brown eyes were as hard as rocks and furious. _

"_You come with me, Hatake. We have to bring him to the hospital. You will regret what you've just done," Yaiba-sensei snapped and started running to the hospital, Gai carefully held in his arms. Kakashi followed sullenly and a tad nervously. His sensei's punishments were reputed to be...harsh, to say the least._

_A doctor quickly took charge of Gai, followed by a cluster of angry nurses that kept glaring over their shoulders at Kakashi. The boy had difficulty not shying back from those looks._

"_Now, what to do with you," Yaiba growled, directing his severe stare to Kakashi._

* * *

"_So, you're finally done with Yaiba-sensei's punishment?" Iruka joked as he watched a tired Kakashi leave the Academy. The boy had stayed at the Academy five more hours every night to do who-knows-what for a month, and now it was rumoured he was supposed to have finished his punishment. Nobody knew what he was made to do; Kakashi refused to talk about it and asking Yaiba-sensei was out of the question._

"_Yeah..." Kakashi mumbled and stumbled back to his house, barely able to stand straight._

"_Geez. What'd you nearly kill Gai for anyway?" Iruka asked, hoping to get an answer this time. His friend had been like a closed oyster on that subject; there hadn't been a way to make him talk._

"_Idiot insulted me. Did you wait for me the whole five hours?" Kakashi asked a bit incredulously, stepping aside to avoid someone coming the other way but nearly loosing his balance in the process._

"_You crazy? Like I'd wait for you for five hours! No, but I decided to come back and check on you," Iruka answered, his tone becoming more affectionate at the end. So Gai had insulted him...and gotten the fight he had wanted, it seemed. _

"_Thanks," Kakashi whispered. Iruka grinned, thankful that Kakashi's lowered head prevented him from seeing it. The silver-haired boy hated to thank anyone, even his best friend._

"_Don't get in trouble like that again, or you won't graduate," Iruka warned, but Kakashi was too tired to reply with his usual 'like it'll happen'. _

_The next day, Kakashi was the subject of every conversation, like always. Kids clustered together to gossip on the things he had had to do with Yaiba-sensei, even if it was over now. The silver-haired boy appeared rested and well, which surprised a few who had hoped to see him near death. _

_One kid, when he saw Kakashi, left the group he was impressing and planted himself before the silver-haired boy. He was a bit smaller but stared arrogantly upward as if he had the advantage of height. His hair was pitch-black and unruly, as if wind-blown, and he had defying black eyes._

"_So. You're the brat that thinks he can go around killing his comrades, aren't you?" the kid asked with a jerk of the head. He had his arms crossed over his chest and looked everything like a kid looking for a fight._

"_Leave me alone, one-eyed brat," Kakashi replied and stepped aside to go around the black-haired boy._

_The boy starting shaking at the insult. He was a coward at heart, but this time he was shaking with anger. His name was Uchiha Haji, and he was born with what was said to be the purest Uchiha blood. The first time he had opened his eyes, he had already been able to use the Sharingan. But that was why his clan had called him Haji, 'shame', and that the kids had nicknamed him one-eyed. Although he was strong and of the purest Uchiha blood, he only had one Sharingan. That was considered a great disgrace and his mother had called him Haji so that he'd feel shame forever for having only one Sharingan while still being so talented._

"_You won't get away with that!" Haji yelled at Kakashi's back. The silver-haired boy stopped and half turned his head._

"_So that's it. You didn't want to confront me while I was being punished so that Yaiba-sensei couldn't blame you for harassing me, but now that it's over, you want to pick a fight so it'll look like I started it and be punished again," Kakashi said, his temper rising despite his usual calm._

_Haji was about to say something back when Yaiba-sensei appeared._

"_Come on kids, you'll be late. Hurry up," he ordered, motioning them inside._

_The two boys obeyed, ostentatiously not looking at each other. When Kakashi sat beside Iruka, the brown-haired boy looked from him to Haji and back again and frowned._

"_What did you do, this time? Uchiha is practically glaring at you! If looks could kill, you'd be dead three times already!" the brown-haired boy said as he watched Haji from out of the corner of his eye._

"_The idiot annoyed me." Kakashi answered, lounging in the uncomfortable chair. _

"_Don't tell me you called him one-eyed. He won't leave you alone you know. Everyone who calls him that pays for it, and he never gets caught. You better watch out," Iruka warned, his tone becoming worried. Few dared to call Haji one-eyed to his face, and those who had regretted it._

_Kakashi shrugged, apparently unconcerned, but he was worried inwardly. Haji was much stronger than him when he used his Sharingan. If he ever had to fight, he'd lose for sure._

_The silver-haired boy looked at Haji over Iruka's shoulder, and a chill went down his spine. He had made himself a dangerous enemy, and however long it would take, Haji would make him pay. _

* * *

_TBC_

Yaiba: Edge

Haji: Shame

There, first chapter! Hope you like it. I'd like to say once again that everything and everyone except the usual Naruto cast is of my invention.

A-chan


	2. Deal

Summary: Hatake Kakashi, copy ninja. Not much is known of him. His past is yet to be uncovered.

Warning: Slight Yaoi Iruka/Kakashi much later in the story. VIOLENCE. Now you know why it's rated PG13.

Note: This story only has 3 chapters, so enjoy! And thanks again to Masterdeeds for the beta-reading!

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

The Past Behind the Mask

Chapter 2: Deal

Kakashi felt Iruka shift beside him to lean against his back. Moving slightly so that the juunin wouldn't have to support his friend, he let his weight do the job as he placed himself back-to-back with him. The only other movement was a breeze raising a cloud of dust that settled back almost immediately. The sun was climbing down slowly, painting the sky in bright oranges and reds.

"Yaiba-sensei didn't go easy on me that time." Kakashi broke the silence as he remembered his harsh punishment.

"You still haven't told me what you had to do," Iruka added with a small laugh.

"And I'll never tell you either. That knowledge will die with me," replied the juunin darkly.

Iruka chuckled and both of them shook since they were leaning against each other. Kakashi hit him slightly with his elbow and shifted his balance.

"Laugh all you want, but you remember as well as I what came after my confrontation with Haji," the juunin interrupted. Iruka froze suddenly, and his perfect stillness was proof enough of the grimness he felt when recalling the events.

* * *

_Kakashi ran quickly back to the village through the forest, his senses fully alert. He had been separated from his comrades during their last mission, and they had agreed to meet at the village's gates should they lose one another. There should not be any enemies so close, but you could never know._

_The genin was just out of sight of the village when he felt a presence following him. He stopped, aware that there could be traps. He slowed to a walk, careful of his every step and aware of the slightest shift of leaves._

"_You look strong, Hatake, but not enough I'm afraid."_

_Kakashi turned around sharply, only to stare straight at Uchiha Haji. The genin was lounging against a huge oak and wore a satisfied smile that contrasted with his blazing Sharingan._

"_It's not the place to fight, Uchiha, we might attract unwanted attention," Kakashi said, a chill going up his spine. What in the world did Haji want now? He had left him alone when he could have had great opportunities to make him pay for insulting him. Why did he choose now, and here, where it was dangerous for him too?_

"_Don't try to run, Hatake. We're going to fight here and now, and I've got just the thing to make you stay," Haji replied, and stepped aside._

_Iruka was sprawled amongst the oak's roots, his face covered in blood. His eyes were glazed and unfocused, and he was frightfully still._

"_Iruka!! What did you do to him, bastard?" Kakashi yelled, meaning to run to his friend, but Haji placed himself between them._

"_Not one-eyed? Are you afraid, Hatake? That's good, very good. Don't worry though, he isn't dead, and I'll not kill you or him. Death isn't fun compared to pain," Haji answered, his grin widening even more._

_Snarling in anger, Kakashi lunged himself at the Sharingan master, only to have his punch contact with air._

"_Too slow. What have you been doing all this time? I thought you'd be stronger than that," Haji mocked from behind Kakashi._

_The silver-haired boy swirled around, using the movement to land a powerful kick, but the Uchiha evaded it easily._

"_Still not fast enough."_

_However fast Kakashi attacked, Haji either countered it or evaded it easily. Soon, the silver-haired boy found himself covered with deep gashes and the heavy blood loss started to show as he slowed down and his attacks grew sluggish._

"_Now you'll see what it feels like to be 'one-eyed'."_

_Kakashi didn't see the attack coming. Before he knew it, blinding pain erupted in his left eye and hot blood poured down his face. He shrieked, and his yell blended with Haji's laughter._

"_Who is one-eyed now, Hatake?" Uchiha laughed, stepping aside and disappearing from Kakashi's eyesight. The silver-haired boy, panting, climbed back to his feet._

"_My eye...you bastard," Kakashi started to snarl, but he stopped short when he saw the kunai imbedded in the ground at his feet. A bloody globe was stuck in the blade._

"_I wouldn't call it an eye anymore," Haji said mockingly._

_Kakashi stared at the globe in horror. He had only thought Uchiha had injured his left eye, maybe even blinded it, but the shock of seeing it at his feet..._

"_Kakashi..."_

_The boy called turned sharply around and stared as Iruka slowly climbed to his feet. His eyes were feverish._

"_Snap out of it, we're not alone..." the brown-haired boy managed to mutter. Haji had stopped laughing and was studying the surroundings with a touch of panic._

"_So that boy isn't dead after all. Good, it's one more hostage then," a voice cackled from the trees._

_Five ninjas let themselves fall to the ground, barely making a sound, and surrounded the three genins. Kakashi just had the time to hear Haji echo his own curse before being knocked out._

* * *

_Kakashi woke up to the pain in his left eye socket, and a slow trickle of blood down his cheek. He looked around, but he might as well have been totally blind; wherever he was being kept was pitch black. He tried to stand up, but he had lost so much blood that his knees buckled under him and a wave of dizziness had him clutching his head._

_The genin crouched on all four**s** and slowly crawled around the room by feeling his way along the walls. The ground and walls were made of stone, cold to the touch and slick, as if they were wet. The cell must have measured no more than four feet by three feet, and the ceiling was barely five feet high. Kakashi couldn't do anything but curl into a ball in a corner, not even able to stretch his aching legs. He tore a piece of cloth from his clothes and dressed his left eye-socket the best he could, but his clothes being already drenched with his blood and dirt, it wasn't very effective._

_Kakashi went very still when he heard a creak like rusted hinges to his left._

"_He's still out cold. We should give him something; I don't want him to die on us. A dead hostage doesn't have any value," a deep voice rasped._

"_I'll go get the Healer. He'll fix him in no time," another, softer voice answered. The speaker appeared younger._

"_Don't. If we patch him up too well, they'll get ideas about being important and they'll start acting funny. That cut on his nose is probably just infected. Go get some medicine," the dry voice ordered curtly. _

_The thump of boots faded away to the left, and Iruka's cell door closed to the same sound of rusty hinges. There was another, slicker sound nearer to the left and Kakashi guessed that it was Haji's cell._

"_Go to hell," the boy growled. Their captor laughed._

"_Got some spirit, don't ya? So, that's the famous Sharingan. Pretty neat. Maybe we'll find a use for you yet," the man said as he closed the door again._

_Kakashi knew he was the next, and he dreaded the opening of the door. The dark suddenly seemed to hold a measure of security, as if he could hide in it._

_Light first appeared from above, and Kakashi squinted against the assault. His left socket burned and he shielded it further with one hand. The speaker was a short, stocky man with a scar running along his temple down his neck. His black eyes peered at Kakashi intently through the flickering shadows of his oil lamp._

"_That eye of yours doesn't look good," he said with the tone of someone worried that his best merchandise might be damaged beyond repair. "I should have sent for the Healer after all."_

_Kakashi kept perfectly silent, but his gaze never wavered from his captor's face._

"_Good thing I came, then," a young man's voice said curtly. "You know less than zero when it comes to injuries, so I thought I'd better check on the boys to make sure none died on us because of your ignorance."_

_The man watching Kakashi jumped and looked to his right. A sheepish grin tugged at his scar._

"_Yeah, well check this one first. His eye is a mess. If it's still an eye," he added as an afterthought._

_Another, younger man appeared in the light. He was tall and slim, a bit like Yaiba-sensei, but his skin was a ghostly white and long white hair framed his face. His blues eyes made Kakashi shudder._

"_Remove that bandage, kid, or the wound will infect," the Healer ordered with the tone of someone used to being obeyed._

_Kakashi did as he was told, and he flinched when the light hit the sensible nerves at the back of his eye socket. He brought his hand up to shield it in reflex but the Healer grabbed his wrist firmly._

"_I've got to treat that now," the Healer said and straightened. "Do you have his eye? It's not too late to replace it," he added._

_Kakashi's head jerked at that. They could replace his left eye? Make him see again? _

"_No. We probably didn't see it on the field. Too bad for the kid," the bigger man answered with a shrug._

_Suppressed anger suddenly welled up inside of Kakashi. So he would stay half-blind forever? Haji had gotten them into this stupid situation because of his foolishness, and now not only were they in their enemy's hand, but he and Iruka would have this day branded in their flesh forever. Just because Haji had been stronger with his sharingan._

"_I want his eye," Kakashi muttered before he could think. If he had his Sharingan, he'd be strong, and things like this would never happen again, and he'd be able to beat Haji._

_The Healer looked at him in surprise, and a new light glittered in his eyes._

"_His eye...? You mean his Sharingan? Tochi, was the Uchiha kid the one that tore his eye out?" the Healer asked the man beside him. The guy named Tochi frowned and rubbed his chin._

"_I think so. We arrived at the end of their battle, but I'm 90% sure," Tochi answered. "You ain't going to..." he started but the Healer cut him off._

"_We could work with this," the Healer mused, a smile curving his pale lips. He considered Kakashi for a moment before straightening. "You have a nice eye boy. I'll give you his Sharingan. Not for free," he added with a laugh at Kakashi's sudden grin. "You'll have to give us a hand."_

_Kakashi automatically tensed, but he relaxed when he realized the Healer didn't mean his hand but help. He berated himself for a fool. Why would they want a hand anyway? Kakashi's mood darkened, if it was possible. Help them? For what? He didn't want to betray Konoha. He didn't want to be the cause for its destruction! He'd prefer to die in this cell of his._

_The Healer laughed and shook his head, as if he had read the boy's thoughts. "We don't ask you to attack your village, not directly at least. See, we don't have the forces to attack it, but we'd like to do a bit of spying, see if we can't find some weakness. But for that, someone has to let us in," the Healer explained, his voice so honeyed it dripped. _

_Kakashi didn't know what to think or do. He could have a Sharingan, yet he'd have to help his enemies spy on Konoha! But the Sharingan...Troubled thoughts fought in his head, rational versus irrational, and the genin shook his head to try and dissipate the fog that seemed to cloud his senses. If only he could find a way to have the Sharingan without endangering Konoha._

_A sudden idea struck him and he struggled not to let his joy show on his face. His teacher had said to join back at the gates if they got separated, and, by now, he'd be looking for him since he hadn't shown up. And Iruka and Haji's disappearance would make it seem all the more important. He could get the Sharingan, pretend to lead them inside Konoha but somehow send a warning. Yes, that would work nicely._

"_Alright, I'll help you, but you have to heal Iruka too and make him part of the plan," Kakashi finally agreed._

_The Healer smiled. "Then we have a deal." He turned to Tochi who had listened to the conversation with growing surprise at first, then deep thought as he already started to lay out the plans. "Tochi, get the boys out and into the operation room. I'll deal with them there."_

_The thought of what would become of Haji had never once crossed Kakashi's mind._

* * *

TBC

Tochi: Land.

There you go for the second chapter. The next one will be the last!

A-chan


	3. A Promise of Retribution

Summary: Hatake Kakashi, copy ninja. Not much is known of him. His past is yet to be uncovered.

Warning: Slight Yaoi Iruka/Kakashi and violence.

Note: This is the last chapter! Enjoy! And final thanks to Masterdeeds for the beta-reading! Also, I know this came out really late, and I'm sorry, but there's so much I can do against bad internet connection, school, birthday parties and the usual occupations of life.

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

The Past Behind the Mask

Chapter 3: A Promise of Retribution

Night had fallen, and the sky had turned a deep blue sparkling with stars under the soothing light of the moon. The air was cooler but very refreshing and a slight breeze had picked up, causing small shivers.

Iruka was stretched on the grass, his arms crossed behind his head as a pillow, and he was watching the stars as he recalled his past. Kakashi had rested his head on his friend's chest and was fingering his Sharingan. His head protector lay forgotten on the ground beside him, as well as most of his equipment.

"I think I'm happy to have been out cold that time," Iruka said gently, not daring to disturb the tranquil mood of the night.

"You would have stopped me. I wasn't thinking straight," Kakashi replied and shook his head as he let his hand drop on his chest.

"I would have been afraid to," the chuunin answered and removed one arm from behind his head to start playing in Kakashi's hair. "You still scare me when you're like that," he continued and jerked the silver hair gently.

Kakashi pretended to wince and arched his neck to look at Iruka. The two stared at each other for a moment before going back to their black thoughts.

* * *

_The operation room looked nothing like one. It was a simple circular room made of the same type of rock than the cells and was lit by a few oil lamps that gave a rank smell. Three beds had been set in the middle._

"_What are you going to do?!" Haji yelled as he fought the men dragging him to one of the beds. Kakashi and Iruka had already been laid down and tightly strapped. "Hatake! You bastard! You sold us to them!"_

_The Uchiha was fighting with everything he had, his Sharingan seeming to shine even more in the gloom. He had heard all of Kakashi's conversation with the Healer, and he was hysterically trying to get free. His eyes darted everywhere and he was even starting to foam at the mouth._

"_You won't get my Sharingan! You won't!" he kept yelling while trying to kick, punch, and bite the men holding him. The Healer walked to him with his hand gripping the handle of a scalpel._

"_And who is going to stop me, boy?" he asked with a wicked smile. Haji's face froze in horror but before he could shriek, the Healer's scalpel sliced his throat neatly. Haji's yell became a gurgle as blood poured from the gash and his eyes glazed, though his Sharingan did not disappear._

_Kakashi looked from his bed in shock. His mouth worked but no sound came out. He had not meant to kill Haji! What was going on?_

"_Don't look so horrified boy," the Healer snapped. "You aren't of the Uchiha blood. If I had given you just the eye, not transformed into a Sharingan, it would have stayed a simple eye for you. It has to be removed and transplanted while being Sharingan, otherwise it won't work," the Healer said impatiently and motioned the men to place the body on the last bed. _

_The Healer gave Kakashi's horrified face one flicker before sighing heavily._

"_Can't you see there was no other way? He could have made the Sharingan disappear whenever he wanted, and it disappears on its own when the person is unconscious. It would have ruined everything. Death was the only way to seal the eye into a Sharingan. And he very nearly managed to revert it back before I killed him," the Healer added as an afterthought._

_Kakashi's brain was numb. He had killed Haji. One of the strongest if not most courageous genin. He didn't seem to want the Sharingan any longer. In fact, the very idea of living with the eye of the boy he had killed made him want to vomit._

"_Get ready. I'll use jutsus and anaesthetics, but you'll still feel some pain," the Healer warned as he approached with the Sharingan and other sharp instruments from a tray beside Haji's bed. The eye seemed to glare at him, accusing. A promise of retribution. _

* * *

_Kakashi didn't remember when he had passed out, but when he woke up, his left eye socket throbbed painfully. Not a stabbing pain but more like a dull one. In any case, it was nothing he could not endure. The operation had not been very painful, not exactly, but the feeling of the Healer's instruments in his socket and the squishy sound when he had put the eye in would have been enough to make him throw up. The previous events and his blood loss had been enough to finish him, and he had fainted. Which was probably for the good._

_Kakashi sat up and fingered the bandage over the Sharingan. It felt clean. He made his eyelid flutter under the tissue, but winced as the pain sharpened. He was anxious to see what it was like, seeing with a Sharingan, even if he dreaded it a bit. And thinking about where he had gotten it..._

"_Is it painful?"_

_The silver-haired boy looked at his friend and shrugged. Iruka was sitting in his bed, a clean bandage covering half his face over his nose. His eyes had lost all of their feverish light of earlier and were now furious._

"_A bit," he answered and threw his legs over the bed._

"_The Healer told me what you did." Kakashi froze at Iruka's sudden accusing glare. "What were you thinking?" he spat, leaning forward angrily. "We're going to betray Konoha! Do you have a single idea what that means? Was the Sharingan worth that? Was it even worth killing Haji?"_

_Kakashi was about to reply something when Tochi barged in._

"_Come on kids, we're leaving," he ordered, pushing them outside. Iruka was staggering slightly, and his face was white under the bandage. But despite that, he walked with his head high, glaring at Kakashi when he looked at him. The silver-haired boy followed suit glumly, a deep feeling of guilt creeping up from the depth of his mind. There was no anger left, just stabbing shame for what he had done. He had been foolish, he realized, and now he had endangered everyone he loved._

_They stepped outside where ten ninjas were waiting, and the boys looked at the mouth of the cave they had stepped out of with surprise. It was just a tiny crevice well hidden by berry bushes and ferns that jutted out from a rough cliff. Kakashi recognized the surroundings; it was just outside Fire country. He would never have seen the entrance if someone had not pointed it to him._

"_Listen kids. This is what you'll do," Tochi started explaining, but Kakashi barely listened. Two of the ninjas were holding a litter carrying what could be distinguished as a human body covered by a white cloth. The silver-haired boy averted his gaze as he swallowed audibly. His Sharingan seemed to throb harder somehow._

_The Healer came out from the crevice, bending not to hit his head on the low edge of the rock, and walked straight to Kakashi._

"_You must not remove the bandage for at least five days. I have placed a jutsu on it that will help you establish control of the Sharingan. If you remove it before that, the Sharingan will refuse your blood and fight it, and even I don't know what will happen then. There is a chance you might be able to control it but I would not risk it. Remember. Five days," he said seriously, waving his hand in emphasis. Kakashi nodded, but he did not listen. He wanted the thing out of his head, but if living with it could punish him a bit for what he had done, he'd keep it gladly._

"_Come on guys. Remember your part and everything will go well," Tochi concluded and started running towards Konoha. Everyone followed, Kakashi and Iruka just behind him, tailed by the two ninjas with the litter. _

_The way to the hidden village was made silently and fast, but when they came just out of sight of the gates, Tochi made everyone slow to a walk. Kakashi and Iruka took the lead, and the Healer and Tochi followed closely on their heels. _

_The brown-haired genin cast a look at Kakashi that made him want to rip the Sharingan out with his bare hands. That look said he would not betray Konoha, whatever happened, and that he'd be the one to kill Kakashi if the boy truly became a traitor. But the thing Kakashi hated the most in that look was his friend's disappointment. They were cold eyes with no love in them._

_The gates finally appeared and the guards hurried to meet them as soon as they were spotted._

"_Hatake! Umino! Your teachers are looking everywhere for you! What the hell were you doing? And where's Uchiha?" The guard froze when he saw the litter, and he studied the ninjas as if seeing them for the first time. _

"_We found those boys in an ambush near the borders, and helped them escape. Unfortunately, we could not do anything for the third one. The enemy managed to run away with his Sharingan," the Healer explained with a voice so heavy with sadness it was a wonder he was not bawling on the ground._

_Kakashi was shaken out of his trance at that, and he started to really see what was going on. They wanted the Leaf Ninjas to restlessly search the countryside looking for the ones who had stolen the Sharingan so that the thieves wouldn't be able to use its secret. That would distract the villagers long enough so that Tochi and his ninjas could do their little spy work without anyone realizing it._

_The silver-haired boy looked around to evaluate their situation. There were six gate ninjas, eight with him and Iruka, although they hardly were in any state to fight, against eleven enemies. If somehow they could hold on long enough for help to arrive, maybe they'd have a chance._

_Kakashi felt his Sharingan over the bandage. A promise of retribution. He could not seriously betray Konoha, not after what he had done to Haji. He had to pay, and if it meant his life, then so be it._

"_Don't listen to them!" Kakashi yelled suddenly. All heads turned to him with various degrees of surprise. The guard had just finished checking Haji's body and giving orders to another ninja to have troops sent hunting the killers. Iruka was staring at him as if he had grown a second head, but Kakashi was glad to see that some respect was shining in his eyes again._

"_They're the enemies! The captured us and killed Haji!" He almost stammered on the last part. True, the Healer had killed Haji, but he was the one that had signed his death sentence._

_And, just like that, all hell broke loose. Fights erupted everywhere with shouts and moans of agony. The guards were strong, but they were overwhelmed by too much. They were seven against eleven, and Kakashi could only hope that the sixth guard had managed to escape to call reinforcements. _

_Kakashi was doing all he could from a distance, throwing his last shurikens and kunais while fighting dizziness and pain in his left eye. All of his throws missed, but they were sometimes enough to distract the enemy and give the guards an opening, which was often enough to give the Leaf Ninjas the upper hand. The genin looked around frantically for the next enemy and his heart stopped when he saw Iruka being attacked by Tochi himself. Fumbling in his weapon pouch, Kakashi cursed when he realized he had nothing left and threw himself at Tochi. The stocky man dodged him easily and used his momentum to heel him in the back. Kakashi crumbled on the ground with a gasp and his vision doubled. His air left his lungs abruptly and he was left gaping, trying to breath**e**._

_The genin knelt painfully, breathing hard, and watched as Tochi took his time to beat Iruka. The brown-haired boy did not stand a chance, and all the guards had their hands full with the other enemies. Tochi was moving so quickly he couldn't see his moves. If only he could see!_

_A stab of pain in his left eye socket made Kakashi grunt and he realized he had tried to open his eye under the bandage. 'Five Days'. But he had to see now, or Iruka would die! 'Five Days'. He had to control the Sharingan now, or he'd also die, and his death would not be enough to repay Haji. 'Five Days'._

_Kakashi ripped the bandage off and opened his Sharingan. He had thought that when Haji had ripped his left eye out he had been in agony, but it was nothing compared to now. His left eye burned as if thrown into the heart of a brazier, and the burn flowed with his blood throughout his body with each heartbeat. His ears rang with the sound of the blood rushing in his head, but it was not enough to cover the shriek of pain ripping out of his throat. But Kakashi kept walking. He had to see. He had to save Iruka!_

_With every staggering step, Kakashi fought the Sharingan. With every step, the blackness over his left eye receded. With every step, the pain subsided. With every step, he gained stronger control over the Sharingan. _

_Kakashi picked up a kunai lying on the ground and made a throw at Tochi. The big man avoided it easily, and turned his attention to the genin. He took his godly time to walk to him and shifted his balance to knee the boy in the stomach, but Kakashi could see. He could read the man's move. The slightest move of his feet, the subtlest shift of his balance, he read all that in a split second and knew what the man was about to do. The silver-haired boy caught the taller man's knee in his left palm and punched him square in the face with the other._

_Tochi stumbled slightly and gave Kakashi an amused smile._

"_Well, looks like the Healer underestimated you. This would be an interesting fight, but I've got no time, so I'll end this quickly," the big man snickered and started making seals._

_Before he realized it, Kakashi was copying the man's seals. The Sharingan was able to see the seals a second before Tochi executed them, and the genin had started mixing chakra without even knowing how much he needed. But again, just by the man's face, the way his jaw was clenched tight and how his muscles were tensed, by his whole stance, he was able to calculate and mix the right amount of chakra. All that a split second before Tochi._

"_Doton Shinjuu Zanshu no jutsu!" the stocky man yelled and Kakashi heard his own echo of the jutsu. Before he could understand what had happened, Tochi was buried in the ground so that only his head showed. The man was squirming and cursing as he tried to dig himself out, but it was no use._

_Kakashi looked around and found a stray kunai, but he had only managed to raise it above his head before he collapsed on his knees, breathing heavily and sweat dampening his hair. The Sharingan was a solid ball of pain, even once Kakashi closed his eye. The world seemed to dull, when the Sharingan was hidden, but the genin couldn't care less. He had no strength left. He tried to raise his hand, to kill the man at his mercy, but his arms wouldn't obey._

"_What's wrong kid? Can't do it? Are you really a ninja?" Tochi sneered and spat in the dirt. Kakashi raised his head, his eye blazing with anger despite his weariness. He slowly raised his arm, the kunai seeming to weight ten times heavier, but before he could strike, a firm hand grabbed his wrist._

"_You've done enough Kakashi. You need to rest."_

_The genin turned his head and stared at his teacher incredulously. The man was kneeling beside him and smiling warmly, while Iruka's teacher was carrying his student inside the gates. There were a few more juunins taking care of the enemy and Haji's corpses. _

_Kakashi opened his mouth to say something, thank you, I'm sorry, anything, but unconsciousness grabbed him before he could do anything._

* * *

"The trials after that were endless," Iruka muttered. He moved his arm from under his head and groaned as the circulation that had been cut before surged back into the muscles with the painful ticklish feeling.

"You say that. You only had to go once and tell what had happened. I was the one convicted for murder and treason," Kakashi replied and sat up suddenly. "And I still don't know how I got away with no more than a few months' work."

Iruka copied him and stretched. They had been in one position for too long.

"Would you have preferred to be given the death sentence? Do you still think you haven't been punished enough?" the chuunin asked as he picked up the stuff he had discarded when lying down.

"Do you think Sasuke will forgive me for killing his uncle and stealing his Sharingan?"

Iruka moved to kneel in front of Kakashi.

"He will be angry, and he'll want revenge, but he'll forgive you someday. This is punishment enough for now," the brown-haired said as he caressed Kakashi's left eyelid. "It still hurts, doesn't it?"

The silver-haired nodded. "I never take full control unless in a battle. Everything has to have a price, and I still feel that I haven't paid enough," the Sharingan master answered darkly. His eye was looking inward as he remembered once again Haji's death.

Iruka sighed and grabbed Kakashi's neck gently. "Haji said it himself: death is not a severe enough punishment, but pain is. You're punishing yourself enough as it is so stop thinking you deserve to die." Iruka forced the juunin's head closer with a slight pressure on his neck.

"Besides, you would not dare die on me," Iruka whispered with a wicked smile. Kakashi stared at him blankly for a few seconds before grinning warmly.

"The idea never crossed my mind," he answered and leaned forward to kiss the chuunin. The juunin warped his arm around Iruka and the man leaned in his embrace happily.

Much farther away, just within earshot, Sasuke unfolded himself from where he had been sitting on the ground behind a tree He had managed to hide his presence there while still being able to listen to Kakashi and Iruka's tale. He had been angry, hateful, and vengeful at first, almost like the way he felt towards Itachi, but now those feelings were gone. The Sharingan; a promise of retribution Kakashi had called it.

Sasuke walked away, his mind calm and serene. Kakashi had paid enough and it was time to put an end to retribution.

* * *

The End

Doton Shinjuu Zanshu no jutsu: Inner Decapitation Skill. Kakashi uses it against Sasuke in the first volume of Naruto, chapter 7. It's a jutsu that allows the user to hide underground and grab his opponent to bury him to the chin. Thought it would be a good idea to have him copy that technique from a man called 'land'.

Finished! Hoped you like it! The ending was a bitch, and I'm still not totally satisfied with it, but it'll do for now I guess. I originally wanted to make Haji Sasuke's real father and all that, but I figured it just couldn't work with the real story, with Sasuke's dad going all 'you truly are my son' etc... It would just stretch the thing too far, so I made him his uncle instead. Not as 'important', you might say, but still a member of his family. If someone I trusted came around and revealed he had killed my uncle and stolen his money, I'd sure as hell be pissed.

Anyhow, enough of my rambling. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!

A-chan


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